Am I correct in thinking...? (WC transport vs car seat)

[Shaunam]

Charlie will hopefully be starting preschool soon. I got a call yesterday from the PT asking about transport. Charlie's medical stroller will go with her to preschool and it does have tie downs, but I don't feel comfortable transporting her in it yet, even on a bus which I know is relatively safe. The PT seemed to understand but was still trying to explain to me why it was safe (all the adjustments they can make, ect).

Am I correct in thinking that it's safer to transport in a child restraint for as long as possible vs. transporting in a wheelchair? I think I've seen it mentioned here before but I wasn't sure.

I told the PT that a graco my ride would be a good option. I don't know if the school will front the bill or not. I hope so.

Charlie is still just SO tiny! She's maybe 23 lbs and she's just petite all over (I really think she would have been petite even without the failure to thrive issues). I was looking at her while she was sitting in her stroller the other day and I can't even see how the seat belt would make contact with her, with the way her body sits back and the frame of it juts out (sorry if that makes no sense!).

 

[Louisa]

A carseat is ALWAYS preferable to a WC when posiable.
also is her stroller WC19 compliant? personally i would never allow transport in a non wc19 compliant chair, i realize that it is possible and that people do it but not with my baby

Louisa
who is also a SN tech as well as a freakish parent

 

[An Aurora]

I would keep her in a traditional car seat as long as possible. A WC19-approved wheelchair is a great option for older children or adults who have outgrown a car seat, but her age I'd definitely go for the MyRide.

 

[NannyMom]

:yeahthat: to both PPs. A carseat is safer than a wheelchair, when possible.

 

[Shaunam]

Ok, I was pretty sure that was correct, I was just checking. Yes, it's WC19-approved. The people I've talked to seemed to think it was an odd request since our chair is perfectly capable of transport. I wonder if they've just never had a parent request that. I do tend to be a little more of a freak than other parents though.

Now we just have to figure out the nursing situation. They won't pay her regular nurses to go to school with her. They want to send one of THEIR nurses with her. I told them they must meet my approval first, which is not an easy task, as we've been through 25-30 home nurses already. Again, I'm the freak parent, I think.

 

[Pixels]

One of the reasons that carseat transport is preferable to WC transport is BECAUSE of all the adjustments that can be made to the WC setup. They are pretty much never done right, just because it's so complicated and so many steps to take each time the WC and child are loaded into the bus.

 

[ketchupqueen]

Even compliant wheelchairs are a "second choice" option. Not only should she be in a conventional CR as long as possible, but when it's no longer a good option, a SN CR should be considered before WC transport is decided upon. WCs, even the really easy to tie down and "crash tested" ones, just don't offer the safety a traditional restraint does.

So for both that and the nurses, you go, mama.

 

[babyherder]

I think parents that don't check into this stuff are freaks. :shrug-shoulders:

And I don't mean the ones that choose to transport in a wheelchair or use the school nurse. I mean the ones that don't check into anything. Even the least picky parent I know agreed to her son with aspergers having an aid in the classroom without meeting the aid but then went into school to meet her and observe her early in the year so she knew what was going on.